Pop Vs Beach House

In one of this crazy year’s biggest surprises, Beach House have a new album out, less than two months after the release of the last one, August’s fantastic Depression Cherry. It would be foolish to compare the two; they were recorded at separate times, and, according to the group, are two distinct and equally cohesive projects. However, they can be contrasted to great effect: Depression Cherry was a very clear progression for Beach House, moving on from the moonlit majesty of Bloom into subdued, stripped territory. Thank Your Lucky Stars, on the other hand, is even more of a traditional Beach House album, relying quite religiously on the same instrumentation that powered Devotion and Teen Dream, with a few tweaks. Although the results are not
This album’s “One Thing” features guitars that are noticeably more fuzzed-out than ever before - it’s a small touch that makes the five-plus minutes of this track go from rather monotonous to engaging. “All Your Yeahs”, another standout on the album, features a post-punk-esque guitar sound, one that is dark and metallic. Legrand’s reverb-drenched vocals sound particularly imposing on this track, which tactfully fades in organs for emphasis. Album closer “Somewhere Tonight”, meanwhile, is more of a slow jam, one that works thanks to Legrand’s gorgeous vocals and Scally’s guitar interplaying with the organ in the song’s third minute. Moments like this are common on Thank Your Lucky Stars - small adjustments to a song keep Beach House’s plainest pleasures from becoming monotonous.

As much as I try, it’s hard not to think of Thank Your Lucky Stars as a collection of songs that didn’t make the cut for Depression Cherry - however cohesive this album might be, there’s no doubt that is less ambitious. However, what it lacks in intrepidity it makes up for in tact. More than ever, Beach House retreats to their core skills for Thank Your Lucky Stars - the results are unspectacular, but still